Florida Might Get Its First Hurricane in More Than a Decade

The state of Florida has gone without a hurricane for a record 3,965 days. But that streak could end this week, as Hurricane Hermine is set to make landfall in northwest Florida and into Georgia. According to USA Today, both Florida and Georgia have declared states of emergency in preparation for downed trees, power outages, and dangerous storm surge flooding.

Hermine strengthened from tropical storm status to hurricane status on Thursday afternoon. NBC News reports that if Hermine keeps its hurricane status as it makes landfall in Florida, it would be the state's first hurricane since Wilma in 2005. Hermine has "24 hours to make a run at ending Florida's 11-year hurricane drought," NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said. "It should be a close call."

According to an update from the National Hurricane Center, Hermine is heading for the North Florida coast, and is expected to be "life-threatening" with flooding rains. Hurricane warnings and watches have already been issued for various parts of the state, and other areas are still under tropical storm watches and warnings. Hermine is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain over northwest Florida and southern Georgia, though some areas could see up to 20 inches of rain.

Florida governor Rick Scott warned residents that standing water from Hermine could attract mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus. He advised to empty any containers that are full of water as soon as it's safe.

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So far, Floridians and reporters have shared scenes of the impact the storm is already having on their towns.